Back to school

The smiley one is back at it. He's become a huge hit at daycare with all of his peers. Mary (our daycare provider), keeps telling Kelly and I how much fun he is to have around. We keep telling her, "Trust us, we know."

I have no idea how much recollection Andrew will have of this time in his life. If he were only able to recall one or two things I am guessing it would be trips to Target with his parents. All of the teachers reading this will understand. I think before any given school year the average teacher makes a minimum of four trips to Target. Now, couple that with the fact that he has two parents that teach. Our guy has a good chance of remembering the red dot.

A couple of mornings Kelly has found Andrew spun 180 degrees from where he began. She said placed him with his head toward the window and in the morning found his feet in that position. Andrew has also been practicing his time on his tummy. He is trying harder than ever to roll over. If his frustration is any indicator of success, he would have rolled over a couple of days ago.

Drew has also been hanging out with a few of his friends these past couple of weeks. We all went up to the Alexis, Abby and Brianna's place two weekends ago. Andrew had a good time hanging out with the girls.

Hope to post again soon.

It's been a while

Hey everybody, I know it's been a while. This month has brought with it some great times with family and friends. Our last post informed you of Andrew's baptism and the party that ensued. The following week it was time to tear-down the old shed and build a new one in its place. This was a large job as the building we were replacing had rotted out and was beyond repair. So, what were we to do you ask. We brought in our very own team of professional home improvement do-it-yourselfers. All three grandpa's, uncles Donny and Jimmy, and even some of his cousins lent a hand. It was an all day project and our whole family was very thankful for all of the help everyone was willing to offer. The sideline coaching was also a great deal of help as the day went on.

The next week gave us our first look at daycare. Andrew attended for two days, and by all accounts seemed to enjoy the experience. I can say that drop-off was a bit tough on the first day. Not for Andrew per se, but rather for dad. Mary (our daycare provider) stated that Andrew likes being around the other children and has no problem letting her know when he needs to be fed. She stated that they had a great day and was looking forward to seeing him on a regular basis. I just don't know that mom and dad are ready for that right now.

This month Andrew also hosted his first backyard grill-out. Some of dad's co-workers came up and brought their families with them. We had a good time, and only minor injuries were incurred. Andrew wanted to thank everyone for coming out.

Andrew has also had multiple visits from family and friends that he had not yet met. Mom's dear friend from her childhood met Andrew for the first time a week or two ago. Stefanie has two boys named Ryan and Brandon. Both were happy to be meeting Andrew for the first time.

Andrew also got to meet one of his great uncles and two great aunts this month. Barb, Doug and Lisa were all able to stop in and see Andrew for the first time. Jarrod, Olivia, and Calvin also stopped in to meet him as well. And as usual he took it all in stride...right up to the point where he became hungry. At that point all pleasantries are off, and we need a bottle!

Hopefully the next posting isn't as far between as the last two were, but I say that every time. This time I know I am shooting for the moon because both mom and dad are preparing for the beginning of school, but I will try my best to get one out around the first weekend in September.

Almost Two Weeks of Catch-up

Hey all! Sorry it's been so long between posts. I know my seven loyal viewers have been itching for more pictures of Andrew. However, as is usual with most of us, life caught up to all three of us this summer and we seemed to have more on our plates than normal. For Andrew, the past few weeks have been filled with visits to and from: aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins, doctors (standard two month checkup), friends, and even the occasional contractor bidding a roof for the house. These past few weeks have also brought with them, visits to daycares, church, and a trip to both mom's and dad's school.

Mom and Andrew have also been perfecting the art of bath-time. Andrew loves the bathwater and seems to have a good time while mom sings and talks with him. I used to believe that both Kelly and I were more in love with the duckie bath towel than Andrew, but he seems to be liking it more and more. But as I was saying, bath-time is typically filled with laughter, singing, a little splashing and a healthy dose of good-times.

Andrew has also been hanging out with his cousins. Logan and Andrew get together from time to time allowing aunt Julie a chance to hang on to a baby as compared to chasing after hers. Andrew has also been getting together with Peter, Ryan and Katlyn. Grandma and grandpa Baron's living room seem to be the hot spot for hanging out. Occasionally it looks like a small tornado has passed through when all four cousins have been in, but everyone seems to be having a great time. Andrew even got the chance to be fed by his cousin Katie this weekend.

Andrew also wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to grandma Fasching for taking the time out of her schedule to hang out this week while mom and dad went to work. On day three of the mom and dad going to work experiment, Andrew got to visit both mom and myself at work. We just hope he had as much fun as everybody else did. Rumor has it, he was a bit hit at both schools.

Andrew has also been doing several public service events. Most notably, he has been coaching grandpa Baron through nap time. Now I know this doesn't sound like the most earth shattering of public service endeavors, but we decided to start small and work our way up.

Today Andrew was baptized at St. Michael's. We had a number of family members come and take part in the service. God-parents: Sara, Don, and Julie were all wonderful sponsors. Andrew wanted to take special care to say thank you for all you did to make today special.

We also wanted to take this chance to mention how much we appreciate all of the food, chairs, tables, and refridgerator space given to us to make today's event so successful. Thanks for coming back to celebrate with us.

Sincerely,

Andrew, mom and dad

Smiles and more family.

Last week began with several daycare interviews. Some candidates were so-so, which means not acceptable, some were downright wrong, and one was just right. We are planning on asking her if she would take care of our most important package while we work. This was not easy, as not just anyone is 'qualified' to take care of our Andrew. We are hoping that this will work out for all of us. If not, it's back to the drawing board.

Beginning late last week and early this week, Andrew has started smiling when prompted. (As a note, not before feeding, or during bath-time.) He has also been heard cooing and briefly giggling. Kelly and I have been found blowing off other responsibilities to spend time with Andrew, just watching and listening.

This past weekend Andrew went on a road trip, again. This time we went to see two of his great-grandparents, and a number of dad's aunts and uncles. Both great-grandma and great-grandpa were very excited to meet Andrew. Upon arriving, grandma and grandpa Fasching handed him off to aunt Diane, aunt Susie, uncle John, and then later aunt Linda and uncle Randy. Everyone took their turn holding Andrew and getting to know him. He really liked all of the attention, and as always being held. Andrew also got to meet dad's cousin Kelli, her fiancé Dusty, and their daughter Peyton. We had lunch, visited for a while and then headed for home. Andrew did a great job with his five plus hours in the car.

Photo ops at a parade (or two)

This week Andrew did his first professional photo shoot. That is, he had his pictures taken by a professional. Our friend Kristen (the professional photographer) took the pictures. She does a great job, and if you'd like her information just send Kelly or myself an email and we'll hook you up. Andrew seemed to like most of the experience. It was just the multiple outfits that he didn't get into all that much. Otherwise, he liked Kristen and had no objection to having his picture taken, and taken, and taken again. Kristen gave us the CD with all of the pictures on it, and I have been making copies (yeah, makin' copies...all of you SNL fans understand) like they're going out of style.

On Thursday, Andrew, Peter and Ryan all went to the annual Coon Rapids parade. Ryan and Peter were seasoned veterans of this parade business, but Andrew was rather new to all of the sirens going off, girls dancing in the street, and politicians looking for a photo opportunity with a baby. He took it all in stride and even slept through a few of the sirens going off. Peter and Ryan really got into the festivities surrounding the parade. Peter was clapping and dancing, while Ryan was pointing out all of the vehicles that made noise or had dancers near them. In all, everyone had a good time.



After the parade it was time to light off some fireworks, and above all sparklers. Peter and Ryan loved them. Again, Andrew was rather indifferent, but seemed to like everyone's company, especially auntie Sara's. Murphy (the dog) even got into the mix a bit. He and Ryan are good friends and really like playing together. The sparklers did tend to make Murphy a bit more cautious about walking up to Ryan however.



On the fourth it was time to head out to a water skiing show with cousin Katlyn, uncle Don, aunt Susan, grandma, and grandpa Baron. We had a great time listening to the music, watching people wipe out and enjoying the weather. We were able to see some fireworks off in the distance, but Andrew was in dreamland by that time. Andrew really likes hanging out with his cousins, as well as his grandparents.

Zoo Crew...

This past week marked Andrew's first trip to the zoo. Andrew, mom, aunt Sara, Peter, Ryan, and Grandma all went down to the Como Zoo. They met up with some of aunt Sara's and mom's college friends and their kids. Andrew didn't understand what all the excitement was about, and slept through a great deal of the festivities. So to make up for his lack of enthusiasm, cousins Ryan and Peter tried everything out for him.

It was a warm day, so hanging out in the shade made good sense. Everyone seemed to enjoy the park, the picnic and the company. If this continues to be a family tradition, we might have to conjure up some ways to keep Andrew more entertained. However, much like his cousins, I get the feeling that Andrew may find ways to entertain himself at the zoo.



The next day it was off to hang out with great-grandpa Cicha. Peter and Ryan came over and were excited to play with all of great-grandpa's stuff. Andrew assumed the normal pose of sleeping when meeting somebody new. Great-grandpa was very happy to meet and hold Andrew.

Andrew also received a visit from mom's cousins Katie and Lena. This was their first time getting to meet Andrew.



One of Andrew's favorite pasttimes is reading with mom and dad. He doesn't comment on the goofy voices I make up for the characters, but instead he stares at the pictures. Andrew seems to have about a three book limit right now. At that point it seems like we are asking him to stay quiet for too long, and he lets us know about it. He doesn't have a favorite book as of yet. I know my favorites to read are the Dr. Seuss books. His eyes tend to roam about when I make the noises associated with the reading.

Friends, Family and Mice

Hey all,

The past week has been yet another blur of activity for Andrew and family. Tuesday we received a visit from Mrs. Robinson and Caleb. They stopped over to meet Andrew and hang out for a few minutes. It was great to have them over and share a few stories. Andrew said to be sure and stop back sometime.

That night we all went over to Peter & Ryan's house. Andrew got the chance to hang out with his cousins while we grilled-out. Everyone had a good time playing with the new swing set, and enjoying the great weather.

Later it was story time. Ryan took the iniative to choose the book that he and Andrew were going to read. Auntie Sara was more than happy to read stories to anyone that would listen. Thanks again for having us over.

Thursday we took another road trip. Andrew, mom and I went up to see grandma and grandpa Fasching. We hung out at the lake and soaked up some rays (okay, mom and I did, not so much Andrew). Grandma made sure that Andrew was well taken care of while the rest of us went for a quick boat ride.

Today Andrew got to meet some new friends while hanging out with the crew. Ryan, Peter and Andrew all got their first chance at meeting Micky and Minnie Mouse. Andrew didn't seem all too impressed with them, but Minny for sure was enamored with Andrew. After meeting the children's icons, we walked around and enjoyed the festivities. Andrew passed on sliding down the zip-line like Peter and Ryan, but seemed to enjoy himself nonetheless.

What does this weekend hold for us? Nobody knows, but rest assured it will definitely be another adventure.